For whatever reason, I am not getting past 200 degrees on the LCC. I have the air vent wide open. I noticed the fire is right dead center of the stove, it seems the right or left sides are not lite for whatever reason.

Any suggestions to bump it up? Can I leave the ash pan door open to allow more air and hence raise the temp? Or am I doing something so simple wrong that I am over looking it.

You can leave the ashpan door open as long as you don't leave the room.. unlimited air to a hand fired stove is a sure way to overfire the stove.. Do you have any idea what your chimney draft is?? maybe you don't have enough draft to pull the needed air through the fire??

For whatever reason, I am not getting past 200 degrees on the LCC. I have the air vent wide open. I noticed the fire is right dead center of the stove, it seems the right or left sides are not lite for whatever reason.

Any suggestions to bump it up? Can I leave the ash pan door open to allow more air and hence raise the temp? Or am I doing something so simple wrong that I am over looking it.

Dan

Dan did you restart the stove or is this the same fire have you shaken the ash down when you reloaded the new coaldid you leave the ash door open until the new coal was burning before you shut the ash door did you adjust the baro at all when you shook the ash down did you leave the ash door open for a few minutes before you shook the ash with your air all the way open on that stove with a good fire to start with your temp would be 2000F not 200f you missed

a step some where open the ash door leave the fire build up watch you temps in the stack go up then shake it 2 to 3 times quick you should see red glowing embers threw the bottom of the grates if not leave the ash door open for a few more minutes until you do then once you do check the coal on top and make sure it is filled to the top of the bricks but before you add any more coal make sure the coal that is in there already is burning good first then add more coal then wait with the ash door open until the new coal is burning then shut the ash door and set your air vent for how much heatyou want if this does not work Call my 24 hour Coal Stove Emergince Phone Number I will come over

I should have good draft, J.C. checked it for me when we installed the stove. I have not touched it at all since then. I did notice that with the high winds we had yesterday, the baro was opening and shutting.

I always open the ash pan door and leave it open until I see the dancing blue ladies in the fire, I then shake it and stop only when I see the red ambers fall down which normally only after a few shakes.

I just got home and the fire was at 200 F and going to see what happens today. Although, I should not complain it is 78 degrees downstairs and 74 upstairs....

Dan, I'd open the ashpan door and let it pull a lot of air through the fire,, get it cooking.. just don't leave the room with the door open. You may have to call J.C.'s emergency service number... I think he only charges a beer or two for service calls..

I'm betting you have ash built up around the perimeter of the firebox,, and you didn't shake enough to get it down into the ashpan... all part of learning to run our stoves... If you have a poker and can get underneath and poke from below the grates in the darker areas, I'll bet you will have lots of ash falling down.. once you restore an air passageway, the fire should take off..

I took the advice and really did a good ole fashion shaking... I got a lot of ash, but now I noticed the whole underneath of the entire shaker system is a nice color of red, maybe that is why I was only able to see the blue ladies in the middle of the fire box and not on the sides. I will give a full report if this worked or not, then I will have no choice of calling J.C.. Maybe I was being a girly man and only shaking a little bit, maybe I need to do it longer.. lol

"Maybe I was being a girly man and only shaking a little bit, maybe I need to do it longer.. lol"

Reminds me of the line from Heartbreak Ridge when Clint says to the guys in the bathroom taking a leak....C'mon ladies, Only shake it twice, any more than that is pleasure and we're not in that business!!

Where is the 200* temp you are seeing? On your stove or on the flue pipe? From the temps in the house it seems like the stove is giving off enough heat!

When J.C. came over and gave me the "professional" how to start a coal fire, it was 85 degrees downstairs and 78 upstairs, a little warm, but nice.

I shaked it again now I can see blue ladies everywhere and still see a nice red glow everywhere underneath, I am at 300 degrees and rising. I have the ash bin door closed and at full draft, which I just knocked down to 1/2 draft.